To not live alone and be apart
To welcome love and share a heart
To take a blow without complaint
To offer peace without constraint.
To be pure when morals scream
To only see the beauty in all you dream
To show compassion to those in need
To be content with no thought of greed.
To wish for nothing and ask for less
To live a life without duress
To offer silence in a raging storm
To be yourself and not conform.
To accept the pitfalls along your path
To smile and always be willing to laugh
To see the good where others see bad
To be happy and never be sad.
To be complete with love to spare
To live in colour where nothing’s bare
To encourage and abide
To be humble and not full of pride.
To wish that fear could always abate
To offer friendship and speak no hate
To stand straight and strong beside the weak
To give the innocent a chance to speak.
Perhaps these words come from misty-eyes
And most of the things have been tried
But sentiment or not I know this much is true
I wish for a future that is better than the life I now view.
© 2019, Daniel Kemp All rights reserved.
About Daniel Kemp
At the age of seventy-six, Daniel Kemp has started his second year of studying the science of Psychology at the Open University. He is a member of The Society of Authors and also a bestselling writer. However, in early September 2025, he was diagnosed with cancer. He is now in palliative care at home, being looked after by his ex-wife. When he was writing his novels, he enjoyed writing stories that appealed to those who liked challenging themselves to solve mysteries that were set out before their eyes, but they couldn't.
His introduction to the world of espionage and mystery happened at an early age when his father was employed by the War Office in Whitehall, London, at the end of WWII. However, it wasn’t until after his father died that he showed any interest in anything other than himself!
On leaving academia he took on many roles in his working life: a London police officer, mini-cab business owner, pub tenant and licensed London taxi driver, but never did he plan to become a writer. Nevertheless, after a road traffic incident left him suffering from PTSD and effectively—out of paid work for four years, he wrote and self-published his first novel —The Desolate Garden.
Within three months of publication, that book was under a paid option to become a $30 million film. The option lasted for six years until distribution became an insurmountable problem for the production company.
All ten of his novels are now published by Next Chapter Publishing Company which has added an edition titled The Heirs And Descendants Collection, which holds all four books of that series, alongside an edition titled The Lies And Consequences Collection which contains all four volumes of that series.
He is the recipient of rave reviews from a prestigious Manhattan publication and described as—the new Graham Green—by a highly placed executive of Waterstones Books, for whom he did a countrywide tour of book signing events. He has also appeared on 'live' television in the UK publicising his first novel.
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A lovely poem, Daniel. It’ reads like a bedtime prayer with perfect rhythm, natural rhyme, and a poignant message. The ending is sad. Beautifully done.
I thank you for reading it and leaving a comment. You are most kind.
Reblogged this on Ed;s Site..
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Great.
Thank you!
My wishes for the future too, Danny.
Let’s hope they come true, Onisha 🙂
This poem is brilliant, Danny, quite profound.
Hello Roberta, that’s kind of you. My English teacher would not recognise me from those comments.
A lovely poem. Sounds like a prayer that children should be made to say at school daily- as a reminder to do the right thing.
To pray is to wish after all. Thank you for reading it 🙂 🙂 🙂